Unit 4 Study Abroad

[Text] Destination: College, U.S.A

一. 学习目标：

了解：熟悉留学主题

理解：课文“目的地：美国大学”，阅读文章“中国人日益增长的留学兴趣”的内容

掌握：运用本单元的语言点和表达法谈论留学话题；用这些词汇写一封海外院校入学申请信

应用：用英文谈论留学话题，分析留学利弊；了解海外院校的录取标准和培养目标

二. 学习任务：

1. Lead-in Video and Discussion

Watch the video and finish the following questions for discussion.

2. Text Study 

(1) Vocabulary: (课本P80-82页的词汇表）

(a) Listen  to the new words and expressions

destination [ˌdestɪˈneɪʃn] n．目的地

nap [næp] n．小睡；打盹

stretch /stretʃ/ v. out extend to a greater or the full length伸直（肢体）

grab /grab/ vt. take or seize by a sudden motion突然抓住；抓取

be flooded with : be filled ed with被…充满；被…淹没

fluorescent /,flua'resant/ adj，荧光的

program [ˈprəʊɡræm]n．课程；计划

dub [dʌb] vt, give a funny name to戏称，给…起绰号

suicide [ˈsuːɪsaɪd] n．自杀

catalog [ˈkætəlɒɡ] n．目录

canon[ˈkænən] n．真经；正典

literature [ˈlɪtrətʃə(r)] n．文学

filter /'filtə/ vi．pass through渗透

spot [spɒt] n．位置，地点

for instance: for example例如

original [əˈrɪdʒən(ə)l] adj．produced  by the writer or painter themselves, not copied原著的，原作的

mysterious [mɪˈstɪəriəs] adj.full of mystery神秘的

alluring [əˈlʊərɪŋ] adj．artracting诱人的；迷人的

yearn [jɜːn] vi. desire strongly渴望；向往

comprehend [ˌkɒmprɪˈhend] vt. understand理解

be tired of : have too much (of sth.)to keep interested厌烦

memorize /'meməraiz/ vt, learn by heart记  住；背熟

interpretation /initə:pri'teiʃən/n．解释；阐释

provocative  adj．causing interest or argument引起兴趣或争议的

secure [sɪˈkjʊə(r)] adj．free from fear or doubt安全的；有把握的

as a result：in the end, therefore结果，因此

analyze [ˈænəlaɪz] vt. consider in detail, study closely分析

make up for：do sth.in order to correct a bad situation弥补，补偿

preparation [ˌprepəˈreɪʃn] n．准备

be destined /'destind/ to be fated to注定会；一定会

reluctant [rɪˈlʌktənt] adj．unwilling不情愿的

hesitate /'heziteit/ v. pause in uncertainty or unwillingness犹豫；踌躇

instinct [ˈɪnstɪŋkt]  n．本能；直觉

stick to: keep to坚持

feel obligated [ˈɒblɪɡeɪtɪd]to (do sth.): feel it a moral or legal duty to (do sth.)觉得有义务做某事）

split/split／vt. separate with force劈开；分离

pull apart: separate使分离，使分开

plead /pli:d/ with sb. (to do sth.) ask sb. to. do sth. in a very strong and serious way恳求某人（做某事）

turn in： hand in, give over上交

linger /'lingə/ vi be slow in leaving, stay longer than necessary逗留

pop up：appear suddenly突然出现

chronological[ˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l] adj.arranged in the order of time接年代顺序排列的

(b) Language Focus

一、Text生词

destination: n. 目的地

e.g. We arrived at our destination about mid-afternoon.

我们下午抵达目的地。

stretch out: extend to a greater or the full length 伸直（肢体）

e.g. I’m not feeling well. Could I stretch out on these two empty seats?

我觉得不太舒服。我可以在这两个空座位上躺下来吗？

grab: vt. get hold of 抓住

e.g. Grab him! He snatched my cell phone!

抓住他！他抢了我的手机！

be flooded with: be filled with 被…充满

e.g. She pulled up the curtain. The room was immediately flooded with sunlight.

她拉开窗帘，房间里顿时洒满阳光。

program: n. 课程；计划

e.g. Which program of this university are you particularly interested in?

该校有什么项目是你特别感兴趣的？

Under the reform program announced in October 2015, the government gave the green light to couples wanting to have a second child.

根据2015年10月发布的改革政策，政府对有意生二胎的夫妇亮了绿灯。

dub: vt. give a funny name to 戏称

e.g. Tom used to be so close to my family that my mother dubbed him her fifth son.

汤姆以前跟咱家走的很近，我妈把他看作自己第五个儿子。

suicide: n. 自杀

e.g. Too much news coverage on suicide may lead to others committing or attempting suicide, particularly teenagers and young adults.

太多的自杀报道会引起他人自杀或试图自杀，尤其是青少年。

catalog: n. 目录

e.g. If you already know what book you want to read, you may use our book catalog to locate it. You can also search for books by author, title, subject or keyword.

如果你知道想要阅读什么书，可以通过我们的书目找书。你也可以通过作者、书名、内容、关键词来查找书。

filter: vi. pass through 透过；传开

e.g. The noise drowned out the TV news program. Only a word here and there filtered through.

吵闹声盖过了电视新闻播报。只不时传出一两个字。

The news of the President’s upcoming surgery filtered out before it was officially announced.

总统即将进行手术的消息在正式宣布前已经传了出去。

spot: n. 地点

e.g. A monument marks the spot where a great battle was fought.

纪念碑的位置是一场重大战役的旧址。

for instance: for example 例如

e.g. If you go to Spain, for instance, you would find people there dine rather late in the evening.

比如说，如果你去西班牙，你会发现他们晚上很晚才吃晚饭。

original: a. produced by the writer or painter themselves, not copied; newly created or formed, not second-hand 原作的；最初的

e.g. The exhibition of the largest private collection of original paintings by Vincent van Gogh at the National Gallery attracted a huge number of visitors daily.

国家美术馆最大规模的凡高私人藏品展每天吸引大量人观展。

mysterious: a. full of mystery 神秘的

e.g. I received a mysterious email yesterday.

昨天我收到一封奇怪的邮件。

allure: v. attract 诱惑；引诱

e.g. Promises of quick profits allure the unwary investor.

快速获利的许诺致使无风险意识的投资者上当。

Three times she gazed at him, as if to allure him on.

她瞧了他三次，似乎是在引诱他。

The calm blue pool was alluring with its promise of coolness and rest.

湖静水碧，不由人神定气闲，充满向往。

yearn: vi. desire strongly 渴望；向往

e.g. Just as I yearn for happiness myself, so I want the world to be happy as well.

我自己向往幸福，所以希望世人也幸福。

Oh, you cannot even guess how I yearn to see my daughter!

哦，你不知道我多想见我女儿！

comprehend: vt. understand 理解

e.g. He could not comprehend her mood in the least and his face showed it.

他完全无法理解她的心情，从他的表情看得出来。

be tired of: have too much (of sth.) to keep interested 厌烦

e.g. Life is amazing. I cannot understand why anybody is tired of it.

人生太精彩了。我难以明白为什么有人会厌倦人生。

memorize: vt. learn by heart 记住；背熟

e.g. Some people think history is a bunch of facts and dates that you memorize.

有些人以为历史就是一大堆记住的事件和日期。

interpretation: n. 解释；阐释 

e.g. This writer’s work demands interpretation. That’s why a discussion in class would be helpful.

这位作家的作品不容易懂。所以课堂讨论会有帮助。

provocative: a. causing interest or argument 引起兴趣或争议的

e.g. On her lips was a provocative smile.

她唇间洋溢着迷人的微笑。

If the few words I have used so far have been provocative, I regret it.

言辞之间如有冒犯，我深以为憾。/ 如果我说的话惹人不快，非常遗憾。

secure: a. free from fear or doubt 安全的；有把握的

e.g. The building is secure, even in an earthquake.

这楼很安全，地震也不怕。

By her early 60s, the Queen was secure in her rule and convinced that she was always right.

到了花甲之年，女王统治已经稳固，她觉得自己永远不会错。

analyze: vt. consider in detail in order to discover meaning 分析

e.g. It’s a tradition for chess players to go over games afterwards to analyze what they did.

棋手赛后都要复盘，分析招法得失，这是一个传统。

make up for: do sth. in order to cover a shortcoming 弥补；补偿

e.g. Don’t speed to make up for the time lost in traffic jam. You may put your life at risk.

别为了交通堵塞耽误的时间而超速。这很危险。

If oil-producing countries all try to make up for lower oil prices by increasing output, prices can only drop even lower.

如果石油生产国都通过增加产量来弥补走低的油价，油价只会跌得更低。

preparation: n. 准备

e.g. Re-entering the job market can be tough, but proper preparation might make it a whole lot easier.

重回职场不容易，不过准备充分的话就会容易许多。

be destined to: be fated to 注定会；一定会

e.g. In the movie, a killer robot was sent from the future to kill a woman destined to give birth to a great hero.

影片中，来自未来的一个机器人杀手被派来杀一个女人，这个女人将生下一位盖世英雄。

There are tons of history textbooks out there. This one is destined to become a classic. I cannot recommend it enough.

坊间历史教科书多的是。这本教科书一定会成为经典。我力推这本教材。

reluctant: a. unwilling 不情愿的

e.g. Having seen so many marriages fail, I’m reluctant to tie the knot.

见过太多不成功的婚姻，我都不想结婚了。

hesitate: v. pause in uncertainty or unwillingness 犹豫；踌躇

e.g. We’ll try our best to save the patient, but I hesitate to say that he’d last very long.

我们会竭尽全力抢救病人，但我不得不说，他撑不了太久了。

Embarrassment caused the speaker to hesitate.

演说者深感窘迫，变得支吾起来。

instinct: n. 本能；直觉

e.g. A person came over and stood behind me. By instinct I knew it was a woman.

有人过来站在我身后。凭直觉我知道那是一个女人。

stick to: keep to 坚持

e.g. It is going to be hard to stick to the schedule with this much work.

活那么多，要完全按照既定的日程会困难重重。

feel obligated to (do sth.): feel it a must to (do sth.) 觉得必须（做某事）

e.g. As a historian, I feel obligated to record the facts and only facts.

作为历史学家，我理当记录史实，除了史实还是史实。

split: vt. separate with force 劈开；分离

e.g. The wind split the flag.

风吹得旗帜都裂开了。

pull apart: tear apart 撕开；扯开

e.g. At times like these, we must pull together as one nation. Don’t let ourselves be pulled apart.

值此关头，全国上下要万众一心。不能分裂。

plead with sb. (to do sth.): ask sb. earnestly (to do sth.) 恳求某人（做某事）

e.g. The kid pleaded with her mother to let her stay out of school for just one day.

孩子恳求母亲让她就一天不去上学。

turn in: give to sb. higher in position 上交

e.g. Have you turned in your photo for your visa application?

你申请签证的照片交了没有？

linger: vi. remain at a spot 逗留

e.g. After the play had finished, we lingered for a while in the theatre hoping to catch sight of the actors.

戏散场后，我们逗留在剧院，希望能看到演员。

pop up: appear suddenly 突然出现

e.g. She was startled when Lisa popped up at the door.

看到丽萨出现在门口她大吃一惊。

二、Text难句

Their words were dull and the presentations difficult to follow. (Para. 4)

Their words were uninteresting, and their discussions were difficult to understand.

他们的语言乏味，表达艰涩。

I often waited for the end-of-class “correct” answers, which never came. (Para. 4)

Out of habit formed back in China, I often waited for the professor to give his/her answer at the end of the class, which I regarded as the only true answer, but professors at Yale never did that.

我常常等待下课前的 “正确”答案，但每次都是落空。

Learning humanities was secure repetition in China, but it was shaky originality here. (Para. 5)

If one learned humanities in China, one just repeated the correct answers given by the teacher

and there was no uncertainty at all. However, if one learned humanities here, one had to come

up with his/her own ideas, which made one feel insecure and nervous.

在中国，人文学科的学习是安稳的重复，在这里则是惴惴不安的独创。

His present life is split, pulled apart by the bygone days and by the days to come. (Para. 7)

He is torn between the past and the future.

他当下的生活被一劈为二，已逝的岁月和将来的日子相互撕扯。

I saw myself in what I wrote. (Para. 7)

I realized what I was writing mirrored the situation I was in.

这正是我自己的写照。

During calls home every two weeks, my mother pleaded with me to take chemistry or biology. (Para. 8)

When I made phone calls home every two weeks, my mother urged me to major in chemistry or biology.

每两周打电话回家时，我母亲总是极力劝我选修化学或生物学。

By the time I missed home so much that soup dumplings and sautéed eels popped up in my head as I read, Nietzsche had replaced Plato on the chronological reading list and Flaubert Homer. (Para. 10)

By the time I missed home so much that I couldn’t help thinking about soup dumplings and

sautéed eels, I had finished reading ancient authors like Plato and Homer and moved on to more

modern authors like Nietzsche and Flaubert.

等到我的思乡情绪越来越重，读书时脑海里会蹦出小笼包和清炒鳝丝的时候，我那个按年代顺序排列的必读书单上，尼采已经取代了柏拉图，福楼拜已经取代了荷马。

(2) Text:  (P80-82).

Read and listen to the Text.

Destination: College, U.S.A.

By Yilu Zhao

All-Nighters with the Western World

1 In the sleepiness at the end of a library nap, I wasn’t sure where I was. I stretched out my arm to reach for a human being, but what I grabbed was a used copy of The Odyssey, the book about going home. My heart ached. 

2 It was 2 a.m. The library, flooded with white fluorescent light and smelling of musty books and sweaty sneakers, was eerily quiet. My readings seemed endless. I had been admitted into a three-course, yearlong freshman program called Directed Studies, dubbed Directed Suicide by Yalies. It was supposed to introduce us to “the splendors of Western civilization,’’ in the words of the catalog, by force-feeding the canons of philosophy, literature and history. 

3 I wanted very much to study the Western canon, because I knew nothing about it. Yes, McDonald’s ads and Madonna posters were plastered on Shanghai streets, but few Western ideas filtered through. We had been informed of Karl Marx’s habit of sitting at the same spot in the British Library, for instance, but had read none of his original words. Western civilization was different, mysterious and thus alluring. Besides, because I longed to be accepted here, I yearned to understand American society. What better way to comprehend it than to study the very ideas on which it is based? 

4 But at 2 a.m., I was tired of them all: Homer, Virgil, Herodotus and Plato. Their words were dull and the presentations difficult to follow. The professors here do not teach in the same way that teachers in China do. Studying humanities in China means memorizing all the “correct,’’ standard interpretations given during lectures. Here, professors ask provocative questions and let the students argue, research and write papers on their own. At Yale, I often waited for the end-of-class “correct’’ answers, which never came. 

5 Learning humanities was secure repetition in China, but it was shaky originality here. And it could be even shakier for me. The name Agamemnon was impossibly long to pronounce, and as a result I didn’t recognize it when we were discussing him in the seminars. I had written my first English essay ever just a year earlier, when applying to colleges, and now came the papers analyzing the canons. And I simply didn’t write in English fast enough to take notes in classes. 

6 I hoped my diligence would make up for lack of preparation. On weekend nights, when my American roommates were out on dates, I would tell them I had planned a date with Dante or Aristotle. (They didn’t think it was funny.) 

7 On one of those weekend nights, I wrote a paper on Aeneas, the protagonist of The Aeneid, who was destined to found Rome but reluctant to leave behind his native Troy. “Aeneas agonizes,” I wrote. “He hesitates. Natural instincts call him to stick to the past, while at the same time, he feels obligated to obey his father’s instructions for the future. His present life is split, pulled apart by the bygone days and by the days to come.” I saw myself in what I wrote. 

8 During calls home every two weeks, my mother pleaded with me to take chemistry or biology. Science was the same everywhere, she said. And I, like everybody else from China, was well prepared in math, physics and chemistry. (To graduate from a standard six-year Chinese high school, one needs to take five years of physics, four years of chemistry and three years of biology.) 

9 Instead, I visited the writing tutor — there is one in every undergraduate residential hall — for every paper I turned in. My papers were always written days before they were due. I lingered after classes to question professors. My classmates lent me their notes so I could learn the skill of note-taking in English. 

10 By the time I missed home so much that soup dumplings and sautéed eels popped up in my head as I read, Nietzsche had replaced Plato on the chronological reading list and Flaubert Homer. And every paper of mine came back with an A.

目的地：美国大学

赵轶璐

通宵苦读西方经典

1 我在图书馆打盹醒来，迷糊之间不知身处何处。我伸出手去，想触摸到身边的其他人，不料却抓到了一本旧书：《奥德赛》。这本书的主题是回家。我的心好痛。

2 这是凌晨两点。图书馆被白色日光灯照得透亮，空气中弥漫着书本的霉味和运动鞋的汗臭，安静得令人不寒而栗。我要读的书似乎读也读不完。我选修了一个由三门课组成、持续一年的新生课程，名为“指导学习”，耶鲁学生们戏称它为“指导自杀”。根据课程介绍，其宗旨是让我们填鸭式地通读哲学、文学和历史经典，了解“西方文明的辉煌”。

3 我很想学习西方经典名著，因为我对其一无所知。上海街头的确到处张贴着麦当劳的广告和麦当娜的海报，但西方思想很少渗透过来。例如，我们得知，马克思习惯坐在大英图书馆的同一个位置看书，但我们从未读过他的原作。西方文明跟我们的文明不一样，显得神秘并因此诱人。此外，因为我渴望被美国社会接纳，所以我很想对它有所理解。而要理解它，最好的办法难道不是研究它赖以存在的理念吗？

4 然而，在凌晨两点的时候，我烦透了他们：荷马、维吉尔、希罗多德和柏拉图。他们的语言乏味，表达艰涩。这里的教授的教学方法跟中国教师不一样。在中国，学习人文学科意味着牢记所有上课时给出的“正确”、标准的解读。在这里，教授们提出引人深思的问题并让学生们自行争论、研究和撰写论文。在耶鲁，我常常等待下课前的“正确”答案，但每次都是落空。

5 在中国，人文学科的学习是安稳的重复，在这里则是惴惴不安的独创，而我比别人还更加惴惴不安。阿伽门农这个名字长得让我读不出来，以至于在讨论课上我都没明白我们原来是在讨论他。一年前申请大学时，我才第一次写英语短文，而今我得用英语写出分析经典著作的论文来。还有，我写英语的速度不够快，上课来不及记笔记。

6 我希望以勤奋来弥补准备的不足。每逢周末夜晚，在我的美国室友们外出约会时，我总是跟他们说我已约了但丁或亚里士多德。（他们并不觉得这有什么好笑。）

7 就在这样的一个周末夜晚，我写了一篇关于《埃涅阿斯纪》的主人公埃涅阿斯的论文。命运注定埃涅阿斯将要建立罗马，但他难以割舍他的故乡特洛伊。“埃涅阿斯感到极度痛苦，”我写道，“他犹豫不决。直觉叫他坚守过去，而同时他又感到有义务遵照父亲有关未来的指令。他当下的生活被一劈为二，已逝的岁月和将来的日子相互撕扯。”而这正是我自己的写照。

8 每两周打电话回家时，我母亲总是极力劝我选修化学或生物学。她说，无论到哪里，科学都是一样的。而我就像所有其他中国留学生一样，数理化的功底很好。（要从中国六年制的正规高中毕业，人人都得学五年物理、四年化学和三年生物学。）

9 我没有听从她。每写一篇论文，在交上去之前我都会请教写作导师——每一幢本科生宿舍楼都配备有一位写作导师。我总是在截止日期前好几天就写好论文。下课后我总是留在教室，向教授提问。同学们把笔记借给我，好让我学习用英语记笔记的技能。

10 等到我的思乡情绪越来越重，读书时脑海里会蹦出小笼包和清炒鳝丝的时候，我那个按年代顺序排列的必读书单上，尼采已经取代了柏拉图，福楼拜已经取代了荷马。而我的每篇论文发还时都得到了A等。

(3) Vocabulary Exercises

3. Reading Aloud.

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